World time-piece



July 25, 1967 w. s. PAWL 3,332,230

WORLD TIME-PIECE Filed Sept. 30, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet l W I my 7 44 i at 3. l 33 July 25, 1967 Filed Sept. 30, 1965 W. S. PAWL WORLD TI ME-PIECE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Ma MW July 25, 1967 w. s. PAWL 3,332,230

WORLD TIME-PIECE Filed Sept. 30,. 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 July 25, 1967 w. s. IPAWL 3,33

WORLD T I ME-P IECE Filed Sept. 30, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR United States Patent 3,332,230 WORLD TIME-PIECE Walter S. Pawl, 2844 Powder Mill Road, Adelphi, Md. 20783 Filed Sept. 30, 1965, Ser. No. 491,751 '7 Claims. (Cl. 58-43) The present invention relates to novel world time-pieces having designs on the dial and hour and minute hand discs for time-pieces to automatically create an illusion of second hand operation and supplementary cyclic fractional minute timers.

The principal object of this invention is to make .a minute hand disc with a circular scale of sixty equal divisions around its periphery starting and ending with the point of the minute hand pointer, and cooperating with an adjacent stationary scale of fifty-nine equal scale divisions on the periphery of the dial of the time-piece just inside its minute scale, to provide a vernier eifect creating an illusion of a moving second hand around the dial scale once every sixty seconds during normal rotation of the minute hand.

A further object is to provide novel cooperative arcuate designs on either the dial or the hour hand disc, and the minute hand disc, to create an illusion "of supplementary substantially cyclic minute timers moving along the outlines of the pointer and tail end of the minute hand substantially every minute.

A further object is to provide the hour hand disc with twelve hands at 30 intervals pointing to the relative hour positions in the twelve opposite 15 hour zones in the Eastern and Western Hernispheres, so as to show the actual time in any hour zone in the world simultaneously at all times when the timepiece is properly set to show the correct time in any one hour zone.

Further and more specific objects will become apparent in the following detailed description of some preferred forms of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a novel combination of dial and minute hand disc having cooperative arcuate designs and vernier second scales and a transparent universal hour hand disc therebetween, for simultaneously indicating the time in any hour zone in the world.

FIG. 2 is an edge view partly in section of this combin-ation.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a modification wherein the cooperative arcuate designs are on the hour hand disc and the minute hand disc, and the minute hand disc has a reticular form over each of the sixty scale marks around its periphery to magnify the thickness of these marks and of the dial scale marks as they approach each other during the vernier movement.

FIG. 4 is a partial edge view of this modification taken on the line 44- of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of another modification having diiferent cooperative arcuate designs on the hour and minute hand discs, and having a reticular bulge formed over the minute hand outlines to magnify these lines and accentuate the movement of any crossings of these lines with the arcu-ate lines on the hour disc.

FIG. 6 is a partial edge view of this modification taken on the line 6-6 in FIG. 5.

FIGS. 7 and 8 are partial sectional views taken on the line 7-7 and 88 in FIG. 5, and

FIG. 9 is a plan view of yet another cooperative arcuate design modification on the hour and minute hand discs.

Probably the simplest form of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, wherein the dial 10 has a typical minute scale 12 around its periphery, but is additionally provided with an adjacent fifty-nine division scale 14 of more prominent but short markings 16, one of which is 3,332,23 Patented July 25, 1967 aligned with the 12 oclock line 18. The hour hand disc 20 is transparent and has twelve short hour pointers or hands 22 extending radially to its periphery at 30 intervals, inscribed thereon and marked by the deg-recs of longitude of the hour zones they represent. A removable long pointer 24 having a clip .26 at its point end to clip over the edge of the hour hand disc may be used as shown, clipped over one of the short pointers, to designate the position of the local zone hour hand to facilitate reading local time and the time in any other hour zone by reference to its angular location relative thereto without having to read the degrees of longitude designations for the respective hour zones every time. The 0 and 180 longitudes designate one of the hour pointers 22 on the hour hand disc and the successive pointers clockwise and counterclockwise therefrom, completely around the disc, are designated by increments of in East and West longitude respectively.

The local hou-r zone pointer 24 is shown positioned over the 75 W. longitude hour pointer or hand, as shown in FIG. 1, for the Eastern hour zone in the United States. In this day of wide travels over many hour zones, when a time-piece is moved to a new zone for an extended stay, it may be desirable to move the local hour zone pointer 24 to a new position on the hour hand disc for convenience without losing the benefit of reading the time in any other hour zone in the world instantly. In prior devices the time in other zones could be determined only after adjusting a ring scale of hour zones about the dial of the time-piece to bring the local hour zone on the scale in registry with the hour hand of the time-piece before the relative location of the hour hand for the other hour zone could be found.

The same hour zone pointer 22 which represents the Eastern hour zone of the United States also represents the hour zone in which Singapore is located and which is directly on the opposite side of the globe in the opposite or Eastern Hemisphere, i.e., in the 105 E. longitude hour zone, except that when it is am. in one zone it is pm. in the other. Thus, this pointer is designated by both the 75 W. longitude and the 105 E. longitude. The hour hand disc is mounted on a hollow shaft 28 adapted for mounting in the sleeve of the corresponding drive shaft of the time-piece, not shown.

The minute hand disc 30 is transparent and has a scale of sixty equal divisions 32 around its periphery, the division marks 34 extending radially outwarldy to a circle substantially defined by the inner ends of the division marks 16 of the fifty-nine division scale 14 on the dial 10. The minute hand pointer and tail end may be outlined as shown by the segmental arcs 36, 38, and 42, which form a design cooperating with the segmental arcs 44 and 48 inscribed on the dial 1% to produce accelerated movement of their crossing points radially along the minute hand outline from the outer ends of its tail end to the point of the pointer during each minute rotational movement of the minute hand disc. This accelerated movement occurs every minute because of the design on the dial being composed of sixty lobes extending radially from the center of the dial, each lobe made by opposed segmental arcs 50* meeting at equally spaced points 52 on a circle of the same radius as the arcs, said points being alined with the marks on the minute scale 12.

Another form of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, wherein the dial 6%) has a typical minute scale 62 around its periphery, which is provided with an adjacent fifty-nine division scale 64 of short markings 66; one of which is alined with the 12 oclock line 68. The hour hand disc 70 need not be transparent but is inscribed with twelve short hour pointers or hands 72 similar to those shown in FIG. 1, extending radially to its periphery at 30 intervals and marked by the degrees of longitude of the respective hour Zones they represent. A removable long pointer 74 having a clip 76 at its pointer end to clip on the edge of the hour hand disc may be used as shown, clipped over one of the short pointers to designate the position of the local zone hour hand, so as to facilitate reading the local time and, by necessarily reading the degrees of longitude designations for the respective hour zones.

The local hour zone pointer 74 is positioned over the 75 W. longitude hour pointer or hand corresponding to the Eastern US. hour zone, but may be moved to any other hour zone position desired.

The hour hand disc 70 is mounted on a hollow shaft 78 adapted for mounting in the sleeve of the corresponding clockwork drive shaft of the time-piece (not shown) on which it is to be used.

The hour hand disc 74) in this modification extends radially within the fifty-nine division scale 64, so that its design will not interfere with the Vernier operation between the sixty minute division scale 82 on the minute hand disc 80 and the fifty-nine division scale 64 on the dial 60.

In this form, instead of the stationary design of sixty lobes on the dial, a design of sixty five lobes made by opposed segmental arcs 100, is used on the hour hand disc 70, and the minute hand disc 80 has a minute hand pointer outlined by segmental arcs 86, 88, 90 and 92, which cooperate with the opposed segmental arcs 100 to produce the cyclic movement of the crossing points of these minute hand arcs and the sixty five lobes bound by the segmental arcs 106, substantially once every minute to provide supplementary fractional minute timers of an attractive design type. The reason for using sixty five lobes in the design on the hour hand disc is to substantially compensate for the movement of this hour hand disc design in the direction of the minute hand reducing the relative movement between the two discs by one twelfth every revolution of the minute hand disc.

The edge of the minute hand disc 80 may be formed with a reticular radially extending bulge 81 over each of its marks on the sixty division scale 82, these bulges extending over portions of the fifty nine division scale 64 on the dial 60, for the purpose of enlarging the width of the marks .on each of these scales as they approach each other in vernier fashion successively around the minute scale to provide and accentuate the illusion of a second hand making one complete revolution every minute. As each magnifying bulge 81 with its enlarged line or mark 82 passes over a mark 66 on the dial, this mark 66 is magnified to its greatest width as it becomes aligned with the mark 82. Thus, the successive alignment of these marks is accentuated by their magnifications to facilitate the illusion of a moving mark around the dial appearing like a second hand moving in proper time around the minute scale.

The minute hand disc outline may be similarly magnified in its width by a bulge 81 of the transparent disc material over the entire length of this outline as shown, e.g., in FIGS. to 8, wherein another modification of the hour hand and minute hand discs 120 and 130 respectively is shown to produce modified combinations of movements around the opposite sides of the tail end and pointer outlines of the minute hand. In this modification the dial 110 has the minute scale 112 and the fifty-nine mark scale 114 and the 12 oclock mark 118. The hour hand disc is provided with the twelve hour hand designations at 122, each designation being accompanied by an abbreviation of a major city or other point of geographic distinction which is located in the respective hour zone, so as to aid in identifying the approximate relation between zones. Some of the arcuate lines 150 in this hour hand disc design terminating at the sixty five points on the edge of the disc, do not have opposed segmental arcs to form lobes. By dilferent arrangements of such omissions various attractive and interesting designs may be made, producing equally attractive and interesting motions of the crossing points. The pointer and tail end designs of the minute hand may also be varied to produce different movements. The tail end arcs 136 and 138 in the modification shown are brought close together although the pointer arcs 140 and 142 are the same as in the other forms shown.

The minute hand disc 136} is mounted on a spindle shaft 127 which extends through the hollow shaft 128 of the hour hand for connection to the corresponding drive sleeve in the clockworks of the time-piece, not shown.

The minute hand disc is further provided with the sixty equal division scale 132 around its periphery to cooperate in vernier fashion with the fifty-nine division scale 114. In FIG. 5 the sixty divisions of scale 13?. are lined up with the sixty divisions of the minute scale 112, and their marks overlap between the periphery of the minute hand disc and the adjacent circle which is the base of the minute scale on the dial 110.

Another design modification is shown in FIG. 9 wherein the hour hand disc has only 13 equally spaced lobes of opposed segmental arcs 200 inscribed on it, to cooperate with the minute hand outline 186, 188, 1% and 192 only once every five minutes, although the sixty mark scale 182 cooperates in the same way with the fifty-nine division scale 164 having its marks 166 equally spaced around the dial 160, as in the other forms, to produce the illusion of a second hand moving around the minute scale once every sixty seconds.

The hour hands are indicated by the arrows 172 and are designated by their respective hour zone locations around the two hemispheres showing the instant time in every hour zone on the globe just as in the other forms.

It will be understood that the designs may have many other forms than those illustrated, which will cooperate in producing illusions of cyclic motion in the same way, and the arcs may vary in color, outline and brightness to produce variations in color blending and brightness of the moving points in attractive rhythms of timing and distance and directions of movement.

Many other obvious modifications in design and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A time-piece face combination comprising a dial having a minute scale around its periphery and an adjacent fifty-nine division scale,

a minute hand disc having a sixty division scale around its periphery and a minute hand pointer at one of said divisions, cooperating with said minute scale to indicate the time in minutes, whereby said sixty division scale cooperates with said fifty-nine division scale to create an illusion of a second hand moving completely around said minute scale once every 60 seconds. I

2. A combination as defined in claim 1,

said minute hand disc being transparent, and

said dial and minute hand discs having cooperating arcuate designs providing cyclic accelerated movements of crossing points between portions of their designs during every minute of rotational movement of said minute hand disc to provide supplementary substantially minute timers.

3. A combination as defined in claim 1,

said minute hand disc having a reticular formed peripherally marginal portion with a bulge over each of its sixty division scale marks and extending outwardly to overlap said fifty-nine division scale on the dial, so as to enlarge the width of the scale marks to accentuate the effects of the Vernier motion between the scales in producing the illusion of a second hand moving around the dial every minute.

4. A combination as defined in claim 2, and

a transparent hour hand disc normally mounted for rotation under said minute hand, and having twelve short hour hand pointers inscribed thereon radially at 30 intervals for indicating the hour of day in each of the twelve 15 of longitude hour zones in one hemisphere and its corresponding hour zones in the other hemisphere on the opposite side or" the Earth, and

a long local hour pointer having a clip at its point end adapted for clipping over the peripheral edge of the hour hand disc, to enable the pointer to be moved to any hour hand position When desired,

said hour hands being designated by the degrees of longitude of the hour zones that they represent in the opposite hemispherical locations.

5. A combination as defined in claim 1, and

a transparent hour hand disc normally mounted for rotation under said minute hand, and having twelve short hour hand pointers inscribed thereon radially at 30 intervals for indicating the hour of day in each of the twelve 15 of longitude hour zones in one hemisphere and its corresponding hour zones in the other hemisphere on the opposite side of the Earth, and

a long local hour pointer having a clip at its point end adapted for clipping over the peripheral edge of the hour hand disc, to enable the pointer to be moved to any hour hand position when desired,

said hour hands being designated by the degrees of longitude of the hour zones that they represent in the opposite hemispherical locations.

6. A combination as defined in claim 5,

said hour and minute hand discs having cooperating arcuate designs providing cyclic accelerated movements of crossing points between portions of their designs during every minute rotation of said minute hand disc.

7. A combination as defined in claim 6,

said arcuate designs including a plurality of segmental arcs extending substantially radially from the center of the hour hand disc to its periphery, and segmental arcs of a slightly different radius extending radially from the center of the minute hand disc to a circle corresponding to the hour hand disc and substantially outlining said minute hand on said disc, whereby the slight difference in radius of the arcs on the discs will cause their crossings to move radially at an accelerated rate from one end of the arcs to the other as their outer ends move past each other during the rotational movement of said minute hand disc to provide supplemental fractional minute timers.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 301,215 7/1884 Cory 5843 893,772 7/1908 Aufiero 58-43 2,078,345 4/1937 Robertson 5843 RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner. M. LORCH, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A TIME-PIECE FACE COMBINATION COMPRISING A DIAL HAVING A MINUTE SCALE AROUND ITS PERIPHERY AND AND ADJACENT FIFTY-NINE DIVISION SCALE A MINUTE HAND DISC HAVING A SIXTY DIVISION SCALE AROUND ITS PERIPHERY AND A MINUTE HAND POINTER AT ONE OF SAID DIVISIONS, COOPERATING WITH SAID MINUTE SCALE TO INDICATE THE TIME IN MINUTES, WHEREBY SAID SIXTY DIVISION SCALE COOPERATES WITH SAID FIFTY-NINE DIVISION SCALE TO CREATE AN ILLUSION OF A SECOND HAND MOVING COMPLETELY AROUND SAID MINUTE SCALE ONCE EVERY 60 SECONDS. 